King Charles and the Nigerian President will hold interfaith talks during next week's State Visit as attacks against Christians intensify.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, will travel to the UK as the guests of King Charles and Queen Camilla from Wednesday, March 18 to Thursday, March 19, 2026.
On Wednesday, March 18, King Charles will receive President Tinubu for an audience at Windsor Castle, before visiting Vicars’ Hall, Windsor, together.
During this visit, the monarch, the President, and the First Lady will meet organisations that work in interfaith dialogue nationally and internationally.
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The following day, Mrs Tinubu will visit Lambeth Palace and visit the Chapel for a short Service of Prayer before being invited to preach.
She will then join a reception at Lambeth Palace with representatives from the Church of England and faith charities, including Christian Aid and Mothers’ Union, who have supported work in Nigeria.
It comes as Nigeria is facing a severe security crisis, where Islamist militants, armed militias and criminal gangs are carrying out raids on villages.
Nigeria is now considered the most dangerous country in the world for Christians by some monitoring groups; 3,490 Christians were killed there in 2025, about 72 per cent of all Christian killings globally.
King Charles and Nigerian President to hold interfaith talks as attacks against Christians intensify
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Christian communities are often among the hardest hit, though the violence affects multiple groups.
In January 2026, gunmen killed at least 35 people and abducted nearly 175 worshippers during raids connected to churches in central Nigeria.
Last month, militants attacked villages in Kwara State, killing more than 160 residents in one of the deadliest massacres of the year.
More recent attacks in Benue and other states have also killed dozens of people in Christian communities.
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A general view of destroyed structures in Offa on December 27, 2025 caused by debris from expended munitions that fell from US strikes on unspecified militants linked to the Islamic State group in Nigeria
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Armed groups often arrive at night, open fire, burn homes, and kidnap villagers for ransom or leverage.
The groups involved in carrying out the attacks include Boko Haram (an Islamist terrorist group), ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), Fulani militias, and criminal bandit gangs.
Some of these groups are jihadist insurgents, while others are criminal or ethnic militias involved in land conflicts or kidnappings.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Oluremi Tinubu will travel to the UK as the guests of King Charles and Queen Camilla
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President Donald Trump ordered a series of airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day 2025 as a mission to stop the genocide against Christians.
The operation targeted camps of the Islamic State-Sahel Province (ISSP) and the Lakurawa militant group, primarily in Sokoto State.
Nigeria joined the Commonwealth in 1960 when it became independent. It was suspended in November 1995 after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and others under Sani Abacha’s military regime, and it was fully reinstated in May 1999.